Where the Murphy Method community keeps in touch.

Menu

Beginning Banjo Camp: We Still Have Room For You

Our fourth Murphy Method Beginning Banjo Camp is just around the corner (October 24-26 in Winchester, Va.) and we still have a few openings. We keep the camp small and never take more than 20 students so you can be sure you're going to get plenty of individual attention from Casey and Murphy. (We hope that's a good thing!)

Since our camps are all about YOU PLAYING THE BANJO we do have a few prerequisites. You need to be able to play three Murphy Method tunes, the Big Three: Banjo In The Hollow, Cripple Creek, and Boil Them Cabbage Down. You don't have to be able to play them fast, but you do have to be able to play all the notes in time. We will spend a lot of time playing these three tunes. Mostly the class will play at the same time, in unison, but we always offer the chance for you to solo. Perhaps by Sunday you'll be ready to make that Leap of Faith!

You also need to be able to make the "F" position vamp chord. And it's not too late to learn it! We teach this on our Vamping DVD and our Misfits DVD. At camp we will use this chord position to make G, C, and D and vamp to the three tunes you can already play. We will also use this position to vamp to other three-chord songs.

If you read this blog regularly you've probably heard us talking about the Roly Polys. These are rolls you can use to play breaks to three-chord songs that you've never played before. What it is is improvising! In the easiest way possible. We will be working a lot with the Roly Polys at camp.

Then in the evening, there will be a one-hour concert with Murphy and Casey followed by student jamming. The first hour of jamming will be led by Murphy and Casey, in two separate groups. Then our official Murphy Method jam leader, Kathy Hanson, will take over and keep you jamming as long as you can stand it....or stay awake! Kathy is an excellent facilitator, singer, and guitar player and we always get rave reviews about the jams the next day. Spouses or partners are welcome to listen to this or even play if they want to.

So, if you are looking to energize your playing, this is the place to do it! Or if you're simply looking for some guidence about what to do or where to go next, Murphy and Casey can help you, especially after seeing you play all weekend long. Murphy is also available for private lessons before the camp (Wednesday and Thursday) and possibly after the camp.